Moneen - The World I Want To Leave Behind Review

While not unheard of, making an EP available just three months prior to the release of a new album is not exactly common practice. One cannot help but get the feeling that such a move has an underlying reason behind it, and in the case of Canadian quartet Moneen (technically .moneen.), that reason is to soften the blow for its loyal fans. What’s the blow we are talking about here? It is the evolution of maturing… Or put simpler; growing up!

The June-released ‘Hold That Sound’ EP hinted at a more straight-forward (dare I use the word “mainstream”) sound from the band, and ‘The World I Want To Leave Behind’ essentially follows through on the new direction. Predominantly gone are the whiney vocals, experimental song structures and tempo-switching for which Moneen has become known for. In their place are smooth melodies and soaring harmonies that could very well expose the band to a larger audience. See immediate cuts such as ‘Hold That Sound’ and ‘Great Escape’ as perfect examples, the latter of which may not be the same song which Boys Like Girls recorded three years ago, but could easily be a track from the Boston pop-punkers due to its contagiously nature.

Also carried over from the EP are ballads ‘The Way’ and ‘’Waterfalls’, both of which have been given an effective infusion of strings. The real surprise however - and what will be a disappointment to many fans - is the over-abundance of not too dissimilar slower to mid-tempo cuts that populate the remainder of the LP. In isolation, nothing is at all bad and each track is solid enough, yet as a grouping they are unremarkable and largely fade off into the background. This is a fact that is not helped by the recurring lyrical theme of self-belief, which tends to reduce the effectiveness of each subsequent piece....full text In 2006 Brampton’s Moneen took a huge step forward with the release of The Red Tree. The album found the band finally cashing in on all the potential critics and fans had been boasting and trumpeting for years. The songs were rich and deep, and knew when to rock and when slow it down. With the possibility of their potential having finally been reached, Moneen took their time, three years of their time crafting their Follow up to The Red Tree.

Now, with the release of The World I Want To Leave Behind, they have taken two giant steps backwards, leaving their naysayer to gain pull out the “pretentious” card that had dogged them through their earlier releases The Theory of Harmonic Value and Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now.

The introesque title track that proceeds the debut single, Hold That Sound, sets the disappointingly slow and subdued tone for the whole album. Musicians with as much talent as Moneen and the back catalogue to back it up, need to embrace their energy, and from beginning to end, The World I Want To Leave Behind feels like an exercise in suppressing that energy and power....full text When Moneen’s Kenny Bridges belts out, “You gotta be strong / You gotta believe in your own way” on its latest release, The World I Want to Leave Behind, one can’t help but wonder: What the hell is he talking about? After all, everything on his band’s fourth full-length release has been heard before from a laundry list of bands over the past 15 years that includes such weepy fellows as the Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, Good Charlotte, and Sense Field. That’s not to discredit the band’s passion and sincerity or its musical chops and knack for catchy hooks because Moneen certainly, if anything, trys awfully hard. However, what do you expect from a band who has songs titled, “Lighters” and “Waterfalls” (no, it’s not a TLC cover) on an album called The World I Want to Leave Behind? If you think over-the-top, highly emotional, generic pop ballads, then you have correctly described Moneen’s latest full-length. Despite a slightly more fleshed-out sound and a couple lineup changes, Moneen still doesn’t do much to warrant a second listen. It’s just too generic to get you reaching for your red cardigan and for your journal under the pillow....full text